Closet-seat.



M. LEHTONEN.

CLOSET SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.16,1012.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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WITNESSES M. LEHTONEN.

CLOSET SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.16,1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 BHEETB-SHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Application fled September 16, 1912. Serial No. 720,657.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTI LEHTONEN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and tate of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closet-Seats; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in closet seats.

The main object of the invention is to provide a closet seat with an improved closure adapted to automatically open when pressure is applied to the seat and automatically close when pressure is removed from the seat.

With the above objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and combination and arran ement of parts as will be more fully escribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central, vertical longitudmalsection of my improved closet seat showing the parts in their normal position or as when the closet is not in use. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position the parts assume when the closet seat is in use. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the closet taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the closet seat with the parts in their normal position. Fig. 5 is a similar view with the upper member of the seat removed. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view through the upper portion of the bowl showing more particularly the ventilating passage therein. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view of the lower member of the seat.

In the drawing Fig. 1 denotes a bowl.

In the upper portion of the bowl and around the inner side thereof is an integral hollow bead 2 in the lower side of which are a series of water dischar ing perforations 3 from which water is ifischar ed onto the inner sides of the bowl to flus the same. In the rear side of the bowl and communicating with the hollow head 2 is a water inlet passage 4 which is adapted to be connected with a water su ply pipe not shown. On the inner side oi the upper edge of the bowl is an inwardly projecting flange 5 between which and the bead 2 is a groove or recess 6. The groove 6 communicates with a ventilating passage 7 which is preferably formed through the rear side of the bowl beside the water inlet passage 4 and has connected thereto a ventilating pipe or stack 8 leading upwardly and out of the building. By provlding the flange 5 and groove 6 all odors arising from the bowl will be caught and drawn out through the passage 7 by the upward draft through the pipe or stack 8 and will thus be removed from the bowl and discharged outside the building.

In order to facilitate the removal of the odors from the bowl, I provide an improved automatically closing seat, consisting of a lower member 9 and an upper member 10. The lower member 9 of the seat conforms substantially to the shape of the top of the bowl on which it rests and has a correspondingly shaped service opening 11. The under side of the seat is recessed or beveled around the edge of the opening 11 and hingedly connected to the beveled edge of the opening are a series of segmental plates 12 which are so shaped that when in a horizontal or closed position, the edges of the same will come together into close engagement there- Ey closing the opening 11 in the seat mem- The lowerseat member 9 is provided on its rear edge with an extension 13 and the upper seat member 10 is also provided with a similar extension 14. The upper seat member 10 is hingedly connected to the lower seat member by a hinge 15 whichis secured to and between the extensions 13 and 14 as shown. Also arranged between said extensions are coiled springs 16 the pressure of which is applied to swing the forward end of the upper member of the seat up- .wardly and to yieldingly hold the same in this position when the closet is not in use. The upper member 10 of the seat is somewhat smaller than the lower member and said upper member has therein a service opening 16' of suitable size and shape. The outer edges of both the upper and lower seat members are beveled and when said upper member is closed down on the lower member, said beveled edges coincide or form a smooth unbroken surface.

The segmental plates 12 are each loosely connected to the lower side of the upper member of the seat by a link 17. The links, 17 may be connected to the plates 12 in any suitable manner but are here shown as having on their ends eyes 18. The eyes on the lower ends of the links are engaged with the apertures 19 in the plates, while the eyes on the upper ends of the links are connected with staples on the lower side of the front end of the seat member and with a curved rod 20 at the rear end of said member said rod 20 being fastened to the lower side of the member 10 in any suitable manner. The

. links 17 at the forward end of the seat are of greater length than those at the rear end thus allowing for the gradually increasing space or-distance between the rear and front ends of the seat. members.

By connecting the upper seat member 10 with the plates 12 in the manner described it will be seen that when the upper seat member is depressed as when sat upon the links 17 will swing the plates 12 downwardly and outwardly thereby uncovering the opening 11 in the seat/member 9. As soon as the pressure is removed from the upper member 10 the springs 16 will immediately swing said member upwardly thereby drawing the segmental plates upwardly to a closed position in the opening 11 thus preventing the escape of any odors from the bowl through the seat openings and causing the odors to be drawn out through the ventilating open ing in the bowl.

In order to facilitate. the use of my improved seat with closet bowls now in use or already manufactured, I provide the lower seat member 9 with a ventilating passage 21 passing through the extension 13 as shown.

The outer end of the passage 21 is adapted to be connected with the ventilating pipe or stack' 8 by a branch pipe 22 and the inner end thereof to communicate with the interior of the bowl 1," thus increasing the ventilation of the bowl. When the seat is aoeaiaa employed with a bowl of the usual construction the passage 21 is connected directly with the stack and alone provides for the ventllav tion of the bowl.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofi construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the inventioncas claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

A closet seat of the character described comprising alower memberhaving a service opening and a ventilating passage, an upper memberihinged to said lower member and fhavingtherein a service opening, a series of plates hinged to the edge of the service openmember is raised the plates will be swung to a closed position and means'to raise and yieldingly hold said upper member in a raised position when the seat is not in use.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- MATTI LEHTONEN. Witnesses:

VICTOR H. GRAU, FRANK O. PELTO. 

